Healthy Lunch

Honey Garlic Shrimp Rice Bowl

Name: Honey Garlic Shrimp Rice Bowl
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined; 2 tbsp honey; 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp grated ginger; 1 tbsp rice vinegar; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil; 1 tbsp avocado oil; 3 cups cooked jasmine or brown rice; 1 cup cooked shelled edamame, thawed and warmed if frozen; 1 cup thinly sliced cucumber; 1 ripe avocado, sliced; 2 scallions, thinly sliced; 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds; Sriracha or chili crisp, for serving (optional)

By Better Plate Recipes

Published Jul 14, 2026

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Honey Garlic Shrimp Rice Bowl is a quick lunch with tender shrimp, warm rice, edamame, cucumber, avocado, scallions, sesame seeds, and a glossy honey garlic sauce. The sauce is sweet, savory, gingery, and bright, while the toppings keep the bowl fresh, colorful, and balanced for lunch.

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Total Time

20 minutes

Servings

Difficulty

Easy

Best For

Lunch, Dinner, High Protein

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This bowl feels complete but still cooks fast, which makes it a strong lunch option when you do not want a long recipe. Shrimp only needs a few minutes in a hot skillet, and the honey garlic sauce turns shiny and flavorful in under a minute once it hits the pan. Ginger and rice vinegar keep the sauce from tasting too sweet, while sesame oil gives it a warm toasted flavor. Rice makes the bowl filling, edamame adds extra protein and texture, cucumber brings crunch, and avocado adds creaminess. Sriracha or chili crisp can be added at the end for heat without making the whole bowl spicy. It gives you restaurant-style flavor with simple ingredients and very little time at the stove.

What Makes This Recipe Work

Shrimp needs high heat, a dry surface, and a short cook time. Patting the shrimp dry helps it sear instead of steaming, and cooking it in one layer helps each piece turn pink and tender at the same speed. The sauce is added near the end because honey can burn if it sits in a hot pan too long. Reserving a small amount of sauce before cooking gives you a fresh drizzle for the finished bowl. The warm rice and edamame make the bowl satisfying, while cucumber, avocado, scallions, sesame seeds, and optional heat give it contrast. The result is sweet, savory, cool, creamy, and crisp in one bowl. That contrast matters because shrimp can feel light on its own, but the rice and toppings make it lunch-worthy.

Honey Garlic Shrimp Rice Bowl preparation

Ingredient Notes & Easy Swaps

Shrimp: This bowl uses 1 1/2 pounds of large 21/25 count shrimp, peeled and deveined. If they are frozen, thaw them fully first and pat them very dry so they sear instead of steam.
Honey: Honey gives the sauce a glossy sweetness. Maple syrup can work as a swap, but the flavor will be a little less classic.
Soy sauce and gluten-free swap: Low sodium soy sauce keeps the sauce savory without getting too salty. For a gluten-free bowl, use certified gluten-free tamari or coconut aminos in the same amount.
Fully soy-free version: For a completely soy-free bowl, use 3 tablespoons coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce and replace the 1 cup edamame with 1 cup cooked green peas. Because coconut aminos are already sweet, reduce the honey to 1 1/2 tablespoons.
Garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, and sesame oil: Fresh garlic and ginger give the sauce its best flavor; if you only have ground ginger use a small pinch. Rice vinegar adds brightness and toasted sesame oil adds nutty depth, so measure the sesame oil as written.
Cooked rice: The photo shows dry rice in the bowl, but the recipe requires 3 cups of cooked rice, which is roughly 1 cup dry. Cook it according to the package directions before assembling. Brown rice uses the same 3 cups cooked but has a firmer, chewier texture.
Edamame, cucumber, and avocado: These toppings add freshness, protein, and creaminess. The shelled edamame must be cooked, not raw, so boil or steam it and drain it well if starting from frozen.
Reserved sauce: Keeping some sauce separate before it touches raw shrimp is important for food safety. Use only that clean reserved sauce for drizzling at the end, and never the sauce that touched the raw shrimp.